Improvement in hats and caps



NrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. WHITE, OF WEST RIVER, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN HATS AND CAPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,986, dated May 22, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM H. WHITE, of West River, in the county of Anne Arundel and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hats, Caps,

' &c.: and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

I have heretofore made certain improvements in hats, caps, and other articles of headdress for which an application for Letters Patent is now pending in the United States Patent Office. This invention is in part an improvement thereon-z'. c., applicable to the style of hats or caps constructed in accordance with the invention referred to, but is also adaptable to hats and caps of otherwise ordinary or suitable construction.

The object of this invention is to more effectually protect the outside covering` or wrapper of the head-dress from being soiled by the moisture or perspiration. This has heretofore been done by the interposition of sweat-band made of an enameled or oiled silk or other fabric or leather, which but imperfectly effected the object, as the acid of the perspiration would eventually dissolve the gummy substance of the sweat-band and allow the moisture to strike through.

I have remedied this inconvenience by malring a sweat-band a thin, liexible, or flexible and elastic band, but not limber, as either leather or any of the oiled or enameled fabrics.

My invention therefore consists in making sweat-bands of hats, caps, Soc., of a thin flexible elastic band of metal, but preferably of hard rubber or vulcanite or steel. bands if properly constructed will readily adapt themselves to the configuration or contour of the head, while perspiration is effectually excluded.

According to the style or method of construction of the head-dress, the band is made in various forms, and I shall describe a few modifications in illustration of the principle of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a vertical section of a hat constructed Such sweatin accordance with theinvention for which an application for Letters Patent is now pending in the Patent Office, and to which this my improvement is applied.

The hat is composed of a wrapper, W, havin g three principal draw-cases and draw-strin gs to gather and close the wrapper in the center on top, and to inclose a frame or hoop, H, above and below the rim and at the juncture of the rim with the sweat-band. The sweatband S is composed of a fine metal or hard and flexible india rubber circular blade provided with flanges f, f', and f, the object of which is to snugly house or incase the drawcases and draw-strings, so as to prevent their displacement. Theupperflange,f,isintended to afford a means of attachment and to hold in place the lining L. In Fig. 2 the band is shown in perspective view. This invention is also applicable to caps.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a hard-rubber sweatband, with which is combined and made in the piece a visor or shield, V, such as are generally worn in connection with caps. The lower end of this band, it will be seen, is slightly flanged, so as to inclose the lower edge or that part of the cap which comes in contact with the head. The general form or appearance of the cap is indicated in dotted lines.

A gentlem ans hat may be made with a sweatband of hard rubber or steel, (shown in Fig. 6,)

which may be fastened by cementation or a seam run through little holes previously drilled or otherwise.

With this band, and in gentlemens hats, may be combined a rim. In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown in two vertical sections a hat of which the sweat-bandv S and rim R are made in one piece of hard rubber or steel. To allow for flexibility an oblong slit may be cut at the sides between the rim andthe band.

From the foregoing it will be understood that my invention is susceptible of man y modications and applications too numerous to specify. I would therefore not confine myself to the particular construction and arrangement shown and described, but would state my claims as follows.

I claim-- l. Making metallic or hard-rubber sweatl In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name bauds with flanges, es and for the purposes to this specification before two subscribing set forth. Witnesses.

2. The combination of n. sweat-band with a, hat-rim or cap-Visor, when made in one piece. -WM. H. WHITE.

3. The combination of a metallic or hardrubber sweat-band with :L Wrapper provided Witnesses: with draw cases and draw strings, substan- JOS. L. COOMBS,

' A t-ielly as herein set forth. EDM. F. BROWN. 

